Switch from full sus to hardtail?

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Switch from full sus to hardtail?
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flag johnpierro13
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Posted: Nov 15, 2020 at 17:04 Quote
Time for a new frame (mine cracked) but being on a pretty tight budget at the moment means that I'll have to pick up an aluminum hardtail. Anyone have experience going from full suspension to a hardtail? I've been spoiled and never owned a hardtail mtb. Are they that much less capable on the descents? Looking at at Commencal Meta HT or similar frame
flag nematon785
Posted: Nov 15, 2020 at 17:48 Quote
Your legs are great suspension. Get a quiet drivetrain, wrap chainstay with rubber if you have to, 1x and clutch mandatory for this.. Get rugged burly tires and ride low psi as you can get away with. Be prepared for standing a lot more. No casual cruising down bumpy stuff on yer ass when your tired. Enjoy low maintenance (except rear wheels gettn destroyed) hunt for the smooth line and thread the needle, no plowing. Nothin wrong with a hard tail, just adjust a bit.
flag oneinoneout
Posted: Nov 15, 2020 at 18:39 Quote
I’m kind of the opposite. Very briefly had full sus but now have a hardtail (Rocky Growler 50).
I love the practical aspect of it and being low maintenance and not much to worry about. A Commencal Meta is a great and capable bike- but a 27.5. My growler is running 29 x 2.6 tires, which is probably a better shout for a hardtail in my view. Slack geo is your friend here.

I live in Vancouver and ride the North Shore weekly... there’s nothing I can’t do there on my bike. I’d be faster on a full sus probably, and it’s definitely easier, but I like the challenge of picking my line and still having fun. Plus it’s better on the ups.
Check out the YouTube channel Hardtail Party for a lot of in depth stuff on HTs.
flag johnpierro13
O+
Posted: Nov 15, 2020 at 20:03 Quote
oneinoneout wrote:
I’m kind of the opposite. Very briefly had full sus but now have a hardtail (Rocky Growler 50).
I love the practical aspect of it and being low maintenance and not much to worry about. A Commencal Meta is a great and capable bike- but a 27.5. My growler is running 29 x 2.6 tires, which is probably a better shout for a hardtail in my view. Slack geo is your friend here.

I live in Vancouver and ride the North Shore weekly... there’s nothing I can’t do there on my bike. I’d be faster on a full sus probably, and it’s definitely easier, but I like the challenge of picking my line and still having fun. Plus it’s better on the ups.
Check out the YouTube channel Hardtail Party for a lot of in depth stuff on HTs.

I'd love to get a 29" bike but like I said, veeery tight budget at the moment so I want to just keep/re-use as many of the parts off my current build as possible. I love technical trails more than fast flow trails and don't want a hardtail to make those sections of trail less fun. How frequent is wrecking rear wheels (obviously depends on your riding style/terrain, but in comparison to a full sus)?
flag johnpierro13
O+
Posted: Nov 15, 2020 at 20:04 Quote
Also the meta is capable of running both 27.5 and 29" wheels, meaning i could always switch it out in the future when the funds are there
flag oneinoneout
Posted: Nov 15, 2020 at 20:27 Quote
If you’re riding more tech than flow 27.5 will serve you well. If you’re on a budget I’d still say look at something like a cheaper Growler given it has the same frame and you can just upgrade the parts when you can afford it.
I ride all kinds of trails on mine around BC- nothing crazy, maybe maximum 2-3ft drops and black diamond north shore trails. Rear wheel is fine so far. I run tubeless quite low pressure and fingers crossed havent cased enough jumps to cause any damage- it’s a strong frame though which helps.
It’s a different riding style and you do have to think about your line choice more, but it’s still possible to ride anything on a modern aggressive HT.
flag 8tom8
Posted: Nov 15, 2020 at 23:57 Quote
johnpierro13 wrote:
Time for a new frame (mine cracked) but being on a pretty tight budget at the moment means that I'll have to pick up an aluminum hardtail. Anyone have experience going from full suspension to a hardtail? I've been spoiled and never owned a hardtail mtb. Are they that much less capable on the descents? Looking at at Commencal Meta HT or similar frame
I have a custom meta hardtail and it ploughs the geo is great and I have a 160mm fork with 27.5 x 2.6 wheels and when I hop on my full suspension it really doesn’t feel that different you just have to be careful with lines and stuff
flag Ontario123
Posted: Nov 16, 2020 at 6:41 Quote
Looks like you're just up the road. Ontario is prime riding for a hardtail. Most of the "chunk" is man-made and you have to go looking for it.

I ride a hardtail with 120mm fork and don't feel the bike get overwhelmed very often. Maybe I have to work a little harder to get my pedal strokes in through the rooty sections...

Anything with geo like the meta HT will make quick work of most Ontario downhill sections, bike park included.
flag johnpierro13
O+
Posted: Nov 16, 2020 at 7:20 Quote
Ontario123 wrote:
Looks like you're just up the road. Ontario is prime riding for a hardtail. Most of the "chunk" is man-made and you have to go looking for it.

I ride a hardtail with 120mm fork and don't feel the bike get overwhelmed very often. Maybe I have to work a little harder to get my pedal strokes in through the rooty sections...

Anything with geo like the meta HT will make quick work of most Ontario downhill sections, bike park included.

This is kind of what I figured. I've been feeling over biked 95% of the time and was already considering a hardtail, and my full sus cracking was just a perfect excuse to make the switch!
flag Danzzz88
Posted: Nov 16, 2020 at 8:21 Quote
Hardtails are much more fun on mellower trails providing you don't want the ultimate comfort and don't take it where it will be way out of it's depth like a gnarly downhill centre, if those two apply you won't prefer a hardtail.

If you ride mostly stood up and like mellower trails you will love the much more direct power transfer, lighter weight and flickability of a hardtail but if you ride seated and are going to be going over 6 inch plus rocks and bumps all day you won't enjoy. Luckily I'm someone who likes to ride trails standing so my previous carbon hardtail was a lot of fun on local walking trails ect and was much more efficient on the road when seated or standing, but since I have been riding bikeparks a lot and hitting gnarly terrain no way would a hardtail cut it, full sus provides a hell of a lot more traction and big hit capability. You need to decide what kind if trails you regularly ride and how you ride ect, cos your ass is gonna be sore if you are gonna be going over rocks seated all day.
flag justwan-naride
Posted: Nov 16, 2020 at 21:05 Quote
I've only owned hardtails so far, but occasionally borrow suspension bikes to get a feel for that too.

You can certainly go down almost anything on a ht, it depends on your skill and commitment level. You can have great fun doing it too, as there's more puzzle solving to find the right line compared to a full sus. A long wheelbase is recommended, as it will help keep you centered on the bike while the rigid rear will try to buck you off. You will have to use your legs A LOT to absorb bumps and possibly lean more on the front that's suspended as this is where traction is. Big tyres and sturdy carcasses help, maybe an insert to increase rear wheel lifespan and traction.

The downside to this is that blasting through chunk sometimes is not possible and that after a big day on a proper mountain you may need a day or two off, depending on your age and fitness level of course. If you care at all about KOMs they will get harder to get as a full suspension bike is faster everywhere except really smooth trails.

That said, the simplicity, the constant feedback from the ground and the fact that you can have a good time without going balls out, all make a modern slack ht a great option. You just have to be open to a bit more work and pain. The aches will just remind you the good times you had out on the trails ????.

Personally I love old school, natural technical trails and riding them on my ht feels like a constant dialogue between me and the ground. You need to find rhythm and flow with the terrain. When it all aligns it's very rewarding. Flow trails are great to scratch the need for speed, but natural trails at my own pace is where my heart is. Just typing this makes me wanna grab my bike!

Enjoy!
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